Hilderayne

The oldest city in Harek. Hilderayne served as the kingdom's capital city, as well as the home of the Royal Family of Harek.

Located off the shore of Argones in Lazuli Bay, Hilderayne was once a peninsula that served as a natural battier between Lazuli Bay and the Argonian Sea. The peninsula was one of the main theaters of war during the War of the Pearls in the Third Age, and would eventually be severed from Argones entirely during the Battle at Founder's Pass in the year 226. When the Alliance of Sand and Sea emerged victorious over the Order of the Blessed Ground in 228, the Harekians were awarded ownership of Hilderayne, with Kerah becoming the first Queen of Harek and ruling from the island.

As the Harekians expanded their territory into Argones to found the kingdom of Harek, Hilderayne remained its capital, with the expanding over the centuries onto the mainland. Eventually, the island itself would become occupied solely by the royal family and associated nobility, with civilians and commerce on the mainland.

The War of the Daffodils would leave Hilderayne all but abandoned as Prince Jonas and Princess Naresa fought for the throne from Amarillia and Verdun, respectively. In the autumn of 949, the nobility of Harek would gather at Hilderayne to determine who had rightful claim to the crown of Harek, but the day the conference was to begin, servants arrived at the island to find all of them dead from an unknown cause in what would become known as the Silent Dawn.

Hilderayne was immediately quarantined pending an investigation, but a week later, Harekians would awaken to find the island had inexplicably disappeared entirely without a trace. The cause of death among the nobles, and the island's current whereabouts, are completely unknown.